Warbird Information Exchange

Apologies if this was previously discussed (I couldn't find anything previous), What is the meaning of a letter at the end of the (USAAC or USAF) aircraft serial number?
For example 44-73656 vs. 44-73656A?
Thx in advance,
VL

Vlado,
There was a point that DOD added the letter to denote what service was using the aircraft.
Bald Eagle was listed on the Bill of Sale to Maco Sales as 44-73029N. it had last served with the Ohio Air National Guard before going south. That accounts for the N at the end.
When registered in the US it got an A. Don't know why except FAA seems to not like anything with an N per the FARs. ie, only mark on an aircraft with an N shall be the N number.
A is for Army officially as far as I remember.
This was used in the 50s into the early 60s IIRC.

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Rich Palmer

Remember an Injured Youth
benstear.org
#64- Stay Strong and Keep the Faith

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A = Active
N = Air National Guard

From-
http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/usafserials.html


For a few years during the late 1940s and early 1950s, the serial number displayed in the Technical Data Block often carried a suffix letter, which was not actually part of the official serial number. Five letters were used--A for US Air Force, G for US Army, N for Air National Guard, R for Air Force Reserve, and T for Reserve Officers Training Course (ROTC). For a while the letter M was used for USAF aircraft associated with American embassies in foreign countries, but this use was discontinued in August 1955.

_________________
Rich Palmer

Remember an Injured Youth
benstear.org
#64- Stay Strong and Keep the Faith

BOOM BOOM, ROUND ROUND, PROPELLER GO

Don't Be A Dilbert!

I've seen "Buzz numbers" with a suffix.
The F-84E/G "FS-747A" comes to mind.
Why would that have a suffix?
My guess.....
I always thought it was because another F-84 shared the same the 3 digits of its serial....and has nothing to do with active or ANG.

For example, no less than 3 F-84Fs had serials ending in "105". But two went to MAP so the photo I saw of the USAF bird was just "FS-105".

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